Alex de Minaur has revealed why he was forced to retire during the second set of Tuesday’s China Open final against Novak Djokovic. De Minaur was trailing at the time of his withdrawal, with Djokovic having taken the opening set by virtue of a tiebreak. The Aussie couldn’t continue after just one game in the second set, with the 39-year-old calling time on the match.
Adductor problem revealed
De Minaur was quizzed on the exact nature of the problem during his post-match debrief, with the Sydney-born ace revealing it was an issue with his upper leg. He remarked: “No, I wasn't. I was feeling quite good, then I felt something midway end of the first set. Yeah, it gradually got a little worse. Felt something in the adductor. I don't know what it is yet. I've got to get some more scans.”
As a result, Djokovic picked up the 102nd title in his career, while De Minaur was forced to lick his wounds.
Shanghai Masters uncertainty
There’s a tight turnaround for De Minaur, given the Masters 1000 in Shanghai kicks off later this week. The 27-year-old has revealed he plans to travel out to Shanghai and undergo scans to determine whether he’ll be able to play. As one of the seeds, De Minaur has been given a bye into round two, so he will be granted some extra time off. Should he decide to compete, De Minaur will play either Alex Molcan or Federico Cina, with the pair set to face off in round one.
Djokovic's unbeaten run continues
For Djokovic, it’s an unusual route to victory, given he also won via a walkover in the semi-final. Daniil Medvedev was disqualified after hitting a spectator in the face with a ball following a fit of rage. It means Djokovic remains unbeaten at the China Open, having first made his debut in the tournament back in 2009.
Reacting to the triumph, Djokovic said: “Well, I landed here quite early to be honest, Saturday, more than 10 days ago. I really wanted to get myself in the right shape to prepare as best as I can to be able to have the week that thankfully I had. I wanted to keep the streak going. Beijing was always my happy place. It continues to be. I always have high expectations for myself. The goals and desires are always high, particularly in a place where I never lost before. I haven't been here 11 years. I had a year filled with struggle and challenges, not many great results after the finals of Australian Open. Yeah, I didn't know how I'm going to feel because the American swing was terrible in terms of feeling on the court, health-wise and physically.”
Adding: “I must say in some of the matches here I did struggle, as well. I managed to kind of push through and really dig deep, turned some matches around. Of course, I'm very proud of the achievement here. It came at the best possible time as a confidence booster, as a proof that I can still play on the highest level. Winning against three top-10 players in a matter of three days back to back is a great achievement. I'm obviously filled with joy.”
